The tablet that believes it can fly

Nvidia believes it's seen the future of portable gaming, and it's a future where tablet and controller live not as one, but side by side - however Microsoft's glanced into the crystal ball and seem something quite different.

Spotted by Patently Apple, a new patent suggests that Microsoft has plans for a unique style of controller to improve gaming on a Surface tablet.

By "unique", we mean a standard-looking Xbox controller that can be cut down the middle, with each half attached to either side of the tablet to create a Razer Edge-style device. And it looks as bizarre as it sounds.

Take these broken wings

At least the Razer Edge keeps its controllers reasonably flush with the device - Microsoft's controller gives its tablet a massive pair of Xbox wings that don't look too conducive to comfortable gaming.

Still, this is just a patent, so it could go down as nothing more than yet another of the many whacky ideas we love to speculate about.